Queensland stroke survivor urges people to act quickly on warning signs

A 39-year-old Sunshine Coast concreter who suffered three strokes within 24 hours is urging people not to dismiss possible symptoms or delay seeking medical care. Dru Arnold initially experienced slurred speech and a migraine but tried to sleep instead of going to hospital. After his wife called an ambulance, doctors found that he had suffered two further strokes and had also experienced one two years earlier.

Seven months after the emergency, Arnold has mostly recovered, although his speech remains affected. He told ABC News that he had not known the basic warning signs of a stroke before his own experience. Stroke nurse Danika Lloyd said Arnold was “very lucky”, given the time that elapsed before he received treatment.

Bailey McNamara, a stroke clinical nurse consultant at Sunshine Coast University Hospital, said time was the most important factor in treatment. McNamara said many patients remain at home with symptoms until they are outside the period in which hyper-acute treatments, including clot-busting medication, can be offered. The hospital’s stroke team recently received an international award for the speed of its treatment of dangerous clots.

Queensland Health figures cited by ABC News show that strokes killed 9,147 people in Australia in 2024 and affected someone, on average, every 11 minutes. Stroke Foundation representative Kelvin Hill said strokes were increasing among people under 65. Warning signs include facial drooping, arm weakness, slurred speech, headaches and brain fog.

McNamara said many strokes could be prevented through healthy eating, exercise, monitoring blood pressure and cholesterol, medical check-ups and managing conditions such as diabetes. Arnold said recognising symptoms in another person could save a life.